SEO Series: Lesson 2 INTRO—Measure, Analyze, ENGAGE!

by | Feb 21, 2018 | News, School Marketing, SEO tips, Webmaster Tips

1st step to boosting engagement: Find out what your readers are reading & how they navigate your website.

As we get further into the nitty-gritty of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), it’s important to lay the groundwork that will support your efforts as you progress. Using these free measurement and analysis tools, you’ll find it easier to plan your content development as you learn more about your audience, such as:

  • How many people come to your site.
    How they’re getting there.
    What regions of the world they’re browsing from.
    Where they click to go next.
    How long they stay.
    If broken links or page errors are deterring them.
    The list goes on…

It’s almost like market research, but without having to ask people to take surveys! You get a front-row seat to observe users’ behavior on your website.

Then you can analyze this behavior to determine what you can improve, add, reduce, or consolidate.

3 free, essential tools come in handy:

Lesson 2 will guide you through the setup and beginning usage of each of these 3 tools. The full lesson will be live on Tuesday, Feb. 27—before then, here’s some steps to take to prepare.

Prep for Lesson 2:

Google Analytics and Search Console work hand-in-hand through your organization’s Google account (which will also open up additional SEO opportunities down the road). If you haven’t already, set up a Google account specifically for the management of your organization’s online presence, such as MinistryNameWebmaster@gmail dot com.
This ensures that your personal or other work items don’t get mixed in with the management of your web presence. This also makes it easier to share the account or keep it with the organization if there’s employee turnover.
Set up your account here: https://accounts.google.com/SignUp?hl=en
You’ll need an existing email address and phone number to use for account verification. When creating the account, make sure to use the official organization’s phone number that would be used for map or directory listings, or on your website’s contact page.
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Google will verify your new account by calling or texting a small numerical code to this phone number for you to enter into the verification form—so make sure you are able to answer a call on it when your’e setting up the account (i.e., don’t do this while you’re out of the office, when you’re not able to answers the phone to hear the code.)

Run into some questions as you’re getting set up? Feel free to ask our resident SEO experts: info@centerforonlineevangelism.org. 

Ready to proceed with Lesson 2?